DENMARK World Premiere

MFA Playwriting Program Head, Charles Smith's play Denmark is currently in previews at the Tony Award-winning Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. Denmark is the inaugural play to open VGT's new production space, the famed Biograph Theater. From VGT's web site about the play: "What is our commitment to fulfill our personal hopes and dreams, versus our obligation to a greater public good, at the time when the need for that greater public good is dire? With his distinctive flair, Charles Smith explores these provocative questions in his searing historical drama about freed slave Denmark Vesey, who in 1822, used his new earnings as a carpenter, not to free the woman he loved but to plan an extensive slave uprising in Charleston, South Carolina." The play runs through November 12th.

MFA Alum Pens a "Law and Order: CI" Episode

Jackie Reingold's (OU MFA 2004) first LAW AND ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT will air on Tuesday, October 10th at 9PM. Actors include: Chris Noth, Julianne Nicholson, Eric Bogosian, Geoffrey Nauffts, Rosalyn Coleman, and Rocco Sisto. It's directed by Jim McKay. Executive Producer, Warren Leight.

The Weekly Madness Productions Get Press

A recent article explores Madness from the inside. Please visit the web site below:
http://www.ohio.edu/outlook/06-07/October/58f-067.cfm

Staged Reading

3rd-year MFA playwright Laura Jacqmin's play BUTT NEKKID will receive a staged reading at The Side Project (Chicago) as part of their HARVEST Festival, Sunday, October 15, 10:30 AM. For more info, see www.thesideproject.net.

OU MFAs in Chicago Dramatists

Aaron Carter (OU MFA 2005) and 3rd-year MFA playwright Laura Jacqmin have been selected as "Resident Playwrights" of Chicago Dramatists.  From CD's web site: "Since 1979, Chicago Dramatists, the playwrights' theatre, has devoted all of its resources and programming to its singular mission of developing new plays and nurturing playwrights. Last season alone, Chicago Dramatists' playwrights earned a record number of 624 productions, awards, commissions, readings, and other honors, at large and small theatres in Chicago and around the country." http://www.chicagodramatists.org/

MFA Playwright Wins "Perishable" Competition

3rd-year MFA playwright Laura Jacqmin’s GOTHAM IS SAFE AGAIN! has been selected as the winner of Perishable Theatre’s 13th Annual Women’s Playwriting Contest. It will be produced at PerishableTheatre, Rhode Island's Research and Development Theatre, in late October of 2006.

MFA Alum to Write for "Law and Order: Criminal Intent"

Jackie Reingold (OU MFA 2004) has been hired onto the writing staff of Law and Order: Criminal Intent.  Jackie was here at OU a week ago for the OU Playwrights' Festival as a guest respondent. Her previous TV credits include NBC’s Miss Match starring Alicia Silverstone, and MTV’s Daria.  Keep track of what Jackie is up to at: www.jacquelynreingold.com

Recent Alum Takes 3rd in Chicago Dramatist's "Many Voices Project"

3rd-year MFA Christopher De Paola's play STREETS COME KNOCKING has been selected as one of twelve finalists for Chicago Dramatist's Many Voices Project. The Many Voices Project is a national competition/search to find new playwrights of color sponsored by Chicago Dramatists and numerous Chicago theater companies.  STREETS COME KNOCKING will be read during a two week festival running in Chicago, July 10th-23rd.  (STREETS was Chris's OU Playwrights'  Festival play this past month receiving a studio production in the Hahne Theater.) UPDATE (8/15/06) Chris' play was selected in third place at the Many Voices Project.

Happyslap at CATF

2nd-year MFA Laura Jacqmin's HAPPYSLAP will be produced at the Contemporary American Theater Festival as their Actors' Lab Production this summer, directed by Melissa Crespo, the current Allen Lee Hughes Directing Fellow at Arena Stage. There will be four performances at various odd times and dates starting July 21, free to the public. Ed Herendeen, Artisitic Director of CATF, saw the play at OU's recent playwrights' festival and selected it for his Actors' Lab Production.

Summer Internships and Research

1st-year MFA Nick Sgouros will be on internship at 20th Century Fox this summer working on development of late night comedy programming. 1st-year MFA Joseph Gallo will travel to Japan this summer to study Kabuki theatre for an upcoming play he plans to write. 2nd year MFA playwright Laura Jacqmin has been invited to participate in the University Playwrights Workshop at Stanford University this coming summer, to workshop her new play BUTT NEKKID. 2nd-year MFA Merri Biechler will be traveling to numerous nationally recognized medical schools and meeting with specialists this summer using some of the $19,000 in Ohio University grant money she was recently awarded to research and write her new play about end of life and palliative care issues.

MFA Alum in Residence at Grinnell

Aaron Carter (MFA 2005) has been invited to be playwright in residence for a month at Grinnell College in Iowa next April. He'll be teaching a playwriting intensive and Grinnell will be reading and developing his latest new play.

Seabury Quinn Jr MFA Playwrights Festival Schedule

The 2006 Ohio University Seabury Quinn, Jr., Playwrights Festival: Festival Dates: May 25-27, 2006.

• Guest Artists in Residence:  Eric Coble (playwright), Ed Herendeen (Artistic Director,  CATF), and Jacquelyn Reingold (playwright) Click here for the guest's bios.
• Third-year MFA Play, (studio production):  Christopher De Paola's Streets Come Knocking.  Directed by Melissa Hill Grande, OU MFA directing candidate. Shows nightly from Wednesday, 5/17 through Saturday, 5/24 at 8:00 pm, and Wednesday, 5/24 through Saturday 5/27 at 8:00 pm in the Hahne Theater (Kantner Hall).  Tickets are $7.00, available from the OU School of Theater box office in Kantner Hall.
• Staged Readings:  Staged readings of new MFA plays by Mark Witteveen, Merri Biechler, Laura Jacqmin, Joseph Gallo, Beth Sager and Nick Sgouros will be held in the Forum Theater (RTV Building) at 2:30 pm and 8:00 pm on Thursday, 5/25 and Friday, 5/26. On Saturday the 27th the final two readings will be held at noon and 2:30 pm.  All staged readings are free and open to the public.

OU Playwrights Grab Large Grants

2nd year MFA playwrights Merri Biechler and Laura Jacqmin  have been awarded Ohio University SEA grants in the amount of $6,000 each to support the research and writing of their thesis plays in their third year. In addition, Merri Biechler has also been awarded OU's Trisolini Fellowship in the amount of $13,000 for her third year of school. (Last year, current third year MFA Mark Witteveen was also awarded the SEA and Trisolini money; in the past two years, OU MFA playwrights have applied for and received over $45,000 in grant money to support the research and writing of their plays.)

Revival of Current MFA playwright's Off-Broadway play

MY ITALY STORY, a play written by Joseph Gallo (first-year MFA playwright) will be opening  in four days at the theatre "12 Miles West" in Bloomfield, New Jersey, on their 200-seat equity stage.  Here's how to find it: Where: 12 Miles West Theatre Co. (562 Bloomfield Avenue, Bloomfield, NJ 07003) When: May 4, 2006 - May 28, 2006 Phone: (973) 259-9187 Web site: http://www.12mileswest.org

MFA Earns Teaching Award

2nd year MFA  playwright Merri Biechler has been awarded OU's Graduate Associate Outstanding Teaching Award. Merri was in competition with GA's from across the university, and the award is given only to the top four GA lecturers based on both undergraduate student reviews of teaching style/ability as well as an interview process conducted by a student committee.

OU Playwrights in Collaboraction Sketchbook

2nd-year MFA playwright Laura Jacqmin's short play POOL OF and 2005 Alum Aaron Carter's KEGGER will be produced in Collaboraction's Sketchbook 6 Festival this August in Chicago at the Chopin Theatre.

Happyslap at Victory Gardens

2nd year MFA Laura Jacqmin's HAPPYSLAP recently received a reading at Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago, and will be presented as a staged reading in the 2006 Kitchen Dog Theater's New Works Festival.

Suzan-Lori Parks visits OU MFA

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks conducted a seminar for MFA playwrights today.  Ms Parks discussed her writing philosophy and her career as a playwright.

MFA playwriting alum Aaron Carter to be at MPAACT

2005 MFA playwriting alum Aaron Carter's play Panther Burn will be produced in Chicago by MPAACT in association with Prop Theatre. The play will be directed by Andrea Dymond, Literary Manager and Resident Director of Victory Gardens. In "Panther Burn", a group of militant black activists kidnap outstanding members of the African-American community. The aim of the activists is to draw attention to those whom the successes of the civil rights movement has left behind. As the kidnapping drags on, lines between captive and captor blur and everyone must take a stand between idealism and the seductive effectiveness of violence."

MFA Alum Reading at Abingdon

There will be a reading of THE CRITIC, by Melissa Gawlowski (MFA 2005), directed by Michael Page. Thursday, March 9, 2006, 7:00 PM, Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, Dorthey Streslin Theatre, 312 West 36th Street, 6th Floor, New York, New York  10018 (Editor's Note: Melissa's play, The Critic, was her 2nd year MFA Festival play.)

MFA Alum Play Produced Off-Broadway

Recent MFA playwriting alum Qui Nguyen's  TRIAL BY WATER will be playing Off-Broadway March 12 - April 9, 2006 at The Culture Project, 45 Bleeker Street, NYC. Directed by John Gould Rubin, and featuring Arthur Acuna, Genevieve DeVeyra, Dinh Doan, Jojo Gonzalez, Karen Tsen Lee, Timothy McCown Reynolds, and Jessica Chanly Smith. "Trial By Water is the unforgettable story of the redemption of two teenage brothers forced to flee Vietnam by boat in the middle of the night.  When the ship’s engine breaks down, their dreams of a better life are shattered by the nightmare of being stranded at sea.  With hope fading, each brother must confront his own morality when faced with unthinkable acts of survival. Upending the traditional narratives of the Boat People, the play eschews stereotypes for a gritty, nuanced, and honest portrayal of the many compromises immigrants must go through to search for permanent moorings. "

MFA Alum Develops at the Lark

Chantal Bilodeau, MFA Playwriting alum (2002): There will be a reading of her new play PLEASURE & PAIN at the Lark Theatre in New York on February 16th at 7pm. For reservations, location, etc., go to www.larktheatre.org

Current MFA to Attend Stanford Workshop

2nd year MFA playwright Laura Jacqmin has been invited to participate in the University Playwrights Workshop at Stanford University this coming summer, to workshop her new play BUTT NEKKID.  More info on the new Stanford program from their web site: "Stanford University and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival are pleased to announce the launching of the University Playwrights Workshop. This new program is designed to provide graduate students in playwriting with the opportunity to experience first hand the development process on a new play with professionals... Twelve playwrights will be selected from prestigious programs and brought together for two weeks during which they will develop one of their plays with a team of well-known regional theatre directors, accomplished dramaturgs, and highly skilled professional actors, culminating in a staged reading." (http://www.stanford.edu/group/newplays)

Charles Smith Commissioned by Joyce Foundation

From an Ohio University press release: "The Joyce Foundation has awarded a $50,000 Joyce Award grant to the Indiana Repertory Theatre (IRT) to support the commission of a new play by Ohio University Professor of Playwriting Charles Smith... Smith's play will tell the story of the infamous 1930 lynching in Marion, Indiana. It will focus on the personal stories of James Cameron, the only survivor of the lynching and the two African-American teenagers who were lynched, Abraham Smith and Thomas Shipp. The three teenagers had been accused of shooting a young white man and shooting and raping his fiancée. The two men that were killed were dragged out of their jail cells by an angry mob, beaten and hanged."

Revival of Current MFA's Off-Broadway Play

A revival of first year MFA Joseph Gallo's Off-Broadway play - MY ITALY STORY - will be produced at 12 Miles West in Bloomfield, New Jersey, on their 200-seat equity stage in May 2006

Current MFA Produced at Otterbein

3rd year MFA playwright Christopher De Paola's festival play from last year, Watchdog, has been selected for production at Otterbein College this coming spring.

Jacqmin at Around the Coyote

2nd year playwright Laura Jacqmin's short play Dawg will be produced at the Around the Coyote Winter Arts Festival in Chicago this February.

Current MFA Playwrights Sweep ACTF

MFA program members Laura Jacqmin, Merri Biechler, and Mark Witteveen swept 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival's Region III 10-minute play competition.  Their plays were given staged readings at the festival held on the campus of Illinois State University in Bloomington, Illinois.   A clean sweep of the top three spots over submissions from five states: Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.